Rand Paul Adds Another Cause to His List

Last week, the government did not shutdown, although many far right conservatives were okay if it had, because they had one goal in mind: defund Planned Parenthood. After a video surfaced that the organization may be selling aborted baby parts for a profit (which is a felony), Republicans stood up and wanted change. Overall, pretty much every member of the GOP is for not sending one more federal dollar to Planned Parenthood, which receives about 500 million a year, and the rest from donations. Although tax dollars do not pay for the abortion part of PP’s services, Republicans believe that the money should be used for alternative women health services that do not seemingly commit such crimes as selling baby parts.

So, as Planned Parenthood continues to receive funding from the federal government in the continuing resolution, Senator Rand Paul is taking action to investigate the organization. Signed by 34 of his Congressional colleagues, Paul wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson, where he called for a full investigation, or in more technical terms an “audit” of the way the fetal research is done in the United States, and what fetal research the HHS supports. From this audit, the senator then calls the HHS sees any agencies (implying PP), that may have violated this law and the standard. Paul wants to ensure that as Planned Parenthood has stated, they are definitely following all protocol when it comes to fetal tissue research. The letter is a request followed by questions. The last line states “HHS OIG has a reputation for fulfilling its mission through thorough, nonpartisan audits and investigations. We look forward to working with your office to shed light on the many serious and alarming questions raised about fetal tissue research in recent months.”

Basically, the letter is a request that the HHS looks into Planned Parenthood and makes sure they are not breaking any laws. They ask that they follow certain steps and guidelines when looking at the industry. Furthermore, the senators want to make sure that it is a third party that investigates PP to make sure there is not a biased audit that covers up any wrongdoings.